Copyright © Geoff Thompson 2004
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Made famous by the ferocious Thai boxers who use the knees as naturally and as effectively as the western boxer uses the hands. Their use is relegated to close-in fighting or grappling, though they are unsurpassable when appropriate. They may be used to attack upward, forward, around or, to a felled opponent, as a finishing technique downward. They can be used to attack as low as the opponent's knee or high as his head. Very basic and very accessible with, in some cases, a low skill factor. As stated, the problem with kneeing techniques is that you generally have to be close to an opponent – close enough, in fact, for him to grab you and drag you to the floor – not the best place to be in a violent encounter, especially when facing multiple opponents or indeed one determined opponent that wants you on the floor in the first place. I get sick of seeing kneeing techniques as the flagship of so many hypothetical self-defence productions that intimate that this technique will guarantee to finish an encounter should it be employed. Not so. No technique holds such a guarantee and to think they do is to ill prepare yourself for an arena that is ferocious and ugly.

My first couple of attempts at kneeing techniques in real encounters failed abysmally because my attacks were clumsy and pushy. This was not helped by the fact that I was wearing trousers that stuck to my thighs as I tried to lift my knee. In theory and in perfect conditions it should be easy to generate power with the knee. In reality, with adrenal shake in the legs and constrictive clothing, it is far from easy. For a knee attack to work it needs to be sharp and forceful; this means much practice.

A slow technique not only lacks power but is also easy for an aggressor to catch. If he grabs your leg you are as good as on the ground, and if that is where he wanted you in the first place then you are in a world of trouble, as they say.

I'll talk through the different attacks you can employ with the knee.

Upward knee

To the groin or testicles this is a simple but effective technique. Lift the knee upward as sharply as possible. A slow pushy movement is likely to be ineffective: the quicker the ascent, the greater the impact. If applying the same technique to the opponent's face or head, first grab his head by the hair or ears or by coupling the fingers of both hands at the back of his skull, and pull his head down rapidly toward your knee. Simultaneously, bring the attacking knee upward to meet the descending head. As they meet, smash the head through the knee.

Forward knee

Much the same technique as the thrusting front kick, using the knee as the attacking tool as opposed to the foot. Relies heavily on the grip you have on the opponent. Grab the opponent's clothes tightly at about shoulder level and vigorously pull, the opponent's body quickly toward your knee, via the said garment.

Simultaneously, thrust the attacking knee upward and forward to meet the opponent's body on its descent. At the moment of impact, thrust both hips forward and into the opponent's body while still pulling downward with the grip.

Roundhouse knee

Much the same as the roundhouse kick, using the knee as the attacking tool as opposed to the foot. Also relegated to grappling distance and relying much on the pulling/grabbing support of your hands. May be used very effectively to attack the opponent's knee, thigh or body. The advanced exponent may even attack to the head.

To the knee, thigh or body, lift the attacking knee up and slightly away from your body then thrust it downward toward the target and at the same time pulling the opponent via his attire toward the attacking knee. On impact, thrust your hips forward and slightly drop your body weight into the technique.

Knee drop

A very damaging technique to finish off an opponent who is already lying of the floor. Logically, the heavier you are the more effective this technique will be, although it doesn't rely entirely on body weight for its effectiveness. It can be dangerous for the person attempting the knee drop because of the danger of being pulled into grappling range by the person on the floor.

You literally drop all of your weight forward and down onto the opponent, landing on the target area (ribs, head, etc.) with the point of your attacking knee (left or right). The quicker the descent, the more effective the technique. For added effect you may jump up so that you land on the opponent from a greater height.

The danger here is obvious. If the opponent is not finished by your attack he will probably grab you as you drop and you could easily fall into ground fighting and be beaten by a stronger, more experienced person. As a point of fact I do not recommend the use of finishing techniques in self-defence, unless the assailant is still a danger to you. Always try to hit and run. It's popular, again, for self-defence teachers to recommend a second and third strike to an opponent who is already stunned. Forget it. Don't even think about it. Anyone that has actually been involved in a real situation would not, or certainly should not, recommend this. If one attack stuns an assailant then use those two or three seconds to make good your escape. Unless you are highly skilled, a stunned or semi-conscious assailant may instinctively grab you when you move in for the kill. Then you have got problems.

Equipment

Punch-bag

The best way to practise knee attacks on the punch-bag is to clothe it, either by tying a loose sack around it or dressing it in old clothes, so that you can grip it like you would a real opponent. Then grab and knee as you would a real person. As with kicking the bag, you may, if you wish, swing the bag and knee it as it swings toward you. If you lie the bag down on the floor you can practise the knee drop on it. A six foot bag is great for practising lower region strikes.

Focus pads

Not as effective as the bag, but still quite good. The holder holds one pad tightly against his thigh with the target area pointing outward whilst at the same time the attacker thrusts his knee, (roundhouse), into the pad. To practise the upward knee, the holder should put both hands (padded) in front of himself at about groin height, right hand overlapping left with both palms facing toward the floor. The attacker may take hold of the holder's hands and pull them downward into the uprising knee, or alternatively grab the holder's clothes at shoulder level and pull on them as he executes the knee attack on the pads.